Focal Mu-So Hekla Soundbar Review: Dolby Atmos With 1 Speaker

$3,600 at Audio AdviceCommentLoaderSave StorySave this storyCommentLoaderSave StorySave this storyRating:

8/10

Open rating explainerInformationWIREDBest stand-alone speaker for Dolby Atmos movies and music. Easy to set up and use with the Focal app. Impressive number of audio drivers with solid up-firing capability.TIREDNot ideal for games. You can only add a sub, not side or rear speakers. A bit heavy and has sharp edges. Doesn’t fit that great on a TV stand.

If space is limited, a soundbar is an excellent way to replicate surround sound—and possibly rattle a few china cups in the kitchen as well. For $3,600, Focal (pronounced foe-kal) has given all of the S-brands (Sonos, Samsung, and Sony) some serious competition in the Mu-So Hekla.

The Mu-so Hekla is a 34-pound beast with 15 drivers for surround sound and 660 watts of power. There’s even a chance this model could replace a wired speaker setup using an AV receiver. In fact, Mu-so Hekla is more than a soundbar for movies: it’s an audiophile speaker in the same league as the Cambridge Audio Evo One (which is not designed for movies and doesn’t support Dolby Atmos). Minor issues and a high price make the Mu-so Hekla a bit less compelling overall, but it’s still a top pick as a stand-alone surround-sound speaker.

Setup and Install

Photograph: John Brandon

One thing I didn’t like right away about the Mu-so Hekla (other than the goofy name, which combines British slang for “audiophile” and the name of a volcano in Iceland) is that the edges are too sharp. Lifting it, I couldn’t get a good grip on the huge metal heat sink on the back. Not a major issue, since the product is made to take up residence on a TV stand or shelf and stay put. My other minor gripe is that, at 11.5 inches deep, it didn’t fit on a normal TV stand from front to back. I had to prop up a Sony Bravia 5 television on some blocks to accommodate the Mu-so Hekla.

On the back of the soundbar, there’s one HDMI port for an eARC connection to a television. I ran a Belkin 8K HDMI 2.1 Ultra cable to the TV, and it was up and running in five minutes. There’s also an optical-in, an Ethernet port for wired streaming, and RCA jacks to connect a subwoofer. After testing the Mu-so Hekla for several days using HDMI and the Focal app, I decided to skip the other ports. I don’t own any audio gear that uses an optical connection, and my Wi-Fi runs at a stable 600 Mbps, plus the speaker doesn't really need a sub.

Photograph: John Brandon

There’s no remote, but that’s a perk. I used the Bravia remote to control the volume while watching movies and playing games. For hi-res audio, I used the Tidal app on my phone or the Focal app, which is easy to use. You can’t connect the Mu-so Hekla to any other speakers other than a sub since it’s an all-in-one soundbar. Sony, Samsung, LG, and many other brands make soundbars that connect to side and rear speakers and a subwoofer. I didn’t mind—I liked the straightforward setup with just one speaker for music, games, and movies.

Music Playback Is Thunderous and Distinct

It’s easy to see why the Mu-so Hekla can handle deep guttural bass, warm guitars, and even the mesmerizing operatic vocals of an artist like Rosalía. There are three woofers, two tweeters, two midrange drivers, and eight additional drivers (for 15 total). The speaker supports Dolby Atmos Music, which is a big plus. The Mu-so Hekla supports Tidal for hi-res audio, but only if you use Tidal Connect and play music through the Focal app. I also played around with the EQ settings and room calibration, which both helped improve music playback.

I’m a major music fan, so one of my goals was to compare the Mu-so Hekla to several recent soundbars. I also measured it against the Cambridge Audio Evo One, which is more for music playback. I played an obscure song by a band called Ex-Vöid, “So Neurotic,” because there’s a wall of guitars that turns most speakers to mush. The Sonos Arc Ultra sounded excellent, but the song is more distinct on the Mu-so Hekla. On “Want Want” by the artist Maggie Rogers, I felt the room shake a little when the guitars, drums, and bass finally filled the room. It’s worth noting that the Cambridge Audio Evo One does a better job of rattling the foundations of your house, though.

Photograph: John Brandon

I played an entire album by the artist Torres, and the bass and drums had an otherworldly tone, as though the bandmates were playing right in front of me. One interesting finding: I played the song “Aurora, IL” by Cassandra Jenkins on a Sony Bravia Theater System 6 soundbar, and the intro sounds like two electric guitars. On the Mu-so Hekla, you can hear that one of the guitars is actually an acoustic (and here’s the proof). Fleetwood Mac is one of the few artists with a Dolby Atmos version of a famous album (Rumours); playing those songs on the Mu-so Hekla felt like being at their concert. You can hear vocals stage left and drums in the back of the room. While the Atmos-capable Sonos Arc comes close, it doesn’t sound quite as convincing.

Dolby Atmos Blew My Mind

Impressed by all of those music tests, I switched gears and found the Mu-so Hekla is even more impressive for movies. While the sci-fi flick Cold Storage is not exactly Oscar-worthy, it has some impressive Dolby Atmos surround sound. Screams and growls seemed to emanate from the side and rear channels thanks to the exceptional up-firing. Focal reps explained to me that the Atmos beamforming is highly tuned with dedicated audio drivers inside the soundbar meant to make you think there’s a speaker hidden behind your sofa.

Photograph: John Brandon

I watched Avatar: Fire and Ash using the Fandango at Home app, and in one scene, there’s an alarm chime during an attack sequence that fills the room. A main character is running out of oxygen, and you can hear the warning beeps move from the side to the center. Even when I watched Crime 101 using the Amazon Prime app, the droning synths and pounding drums sounded ultrarealistic, even compared to my own floor-standing speakers. All good so far, but I will be curious to get my hands on the LG Sound Suite speakers, because they are the first to support Dolby Atmos FlexConnect, which lets you put speakers anywhere. With the soundbar, sub, front, and rear speakers, the LG system could be a top pick for its unique feature, just as the Mu-so Hekla is for its one-box setup.

For movies, the Mu-so Hekla could even replace an AV receiver if you are space-constrained. I hate running speaker wire everywhere, so a stand-alone speaker does have a certain appeal. In side-by-side testing, however, a full multiple-speaker setup is more like a movie theater.

Games, News, Sports, and Everything Else

Using the DirecTV streaming app, I watched a hockey game, a news broadcast, and several television shows. During the NHL game, I could hear the announcers even with the crowd noise and blaring horns. A David Muir news broadcast on ABC was also clear and distinct. I was worried the Hekla’s full-throttle bass would overwhelm those broadcasts, but it was more subdued and made the main center vocals sound clear.

For games, I felt Forza Horizon 5 was not as convincing for surround sound as the movies and shows. You would expect to hear cars zooming by on the side and rear channels thanks to the audio drivers, but it didn’t feel like I was transported to the racetrack. My current gaming obsession, Crimson Desert, also didn’t blow me away with surround-sound audio, although the sweeping epic score of that game sounded much better than the Sony Bravia Theater System 6 soundbar, especially at full volume.

Movies are specifically designed for Dolby Atmos, though, so it’s not a surprise that the games I tested didn’t create a cocoon of surround sound. In fact, that’s the main takeaway here: The Mu-so Hekla soundbar is my top pick for movies and Atmos albums as a stand-alone speaker. The Cambridge Audio Evo One is a better stand-alone speaker for music. If you add multiple speakers and a sub to the Sonos Arc Ultra, the price is roughly the same as the Mu-so Hekla, and the Atmos surround sound is similar in overall quality. If you’re tight on space or want the best possible Atmos experience from one speaker, the Mu-so Hekla is the best option.

Note that this soundbar is currently only available through Focal dealers; you may be able to order it over the phone, but it's better to visit a local showroom and listen for yourself.

$3,600 at Audio Advice